


Senbazuru

by NotPersephone



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter Tetralogy - Thomas Harris
Genre: Bedannibal in Florence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-11 14:32:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7896301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotPersephone/pseuds/NotPersephone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bedelia learns about Hannibal's aunt, Lady Murasaki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Senbazuru

The fabric flows through Bedelia’s fingers like a stream of liquid emeralds and sapphires. An exquisite dressing gown made with silk of the highest quality. A Japanese-inspired design is not something she would usually consider but this particular piece caught her eye as they were making their way down the shopping district of Florence.

Hannibal is standing behind her but has been unusually quiet. Bedelia turns to face him and notices his gaze fixed on the gown. His eyes, normally alert, are misty; an unmistakable sign that he is lost within the rooms of his memory palace. She ponders what could be so significant about an item of clothing and stores the fact away for later consideration.

She gently wraps her hand around his arm to bring him back to the present moment. He looks at her and smiles but part of him still remains in the palace. Bedelia’s eyes are bright, curiosity burning behind them like a fiery inferno. Yet she knows better than to question him. He will come to her when he is ready, he always does.                                   

                               

The following day Hannibal remains distant and withdrawn. He spends most of the time alone in his study, silencing the demons of his past with work. That is what Bedelia thinks until she sees a vase with an elaborate flower arrangement consisting of peonies standing on his desk.

                                                               

The next evening, as she makes her way to the bathroom wrapped in a cream bathrobe, she finds Hannibal already there, waiting. She is surprised to find the bath is already prepared for her. Candlelight fills the room with a warm glow and the smell of rosemary lingers in the air.

She unwraps her bathrobe and he slowly removes it from her shoulders.

Bedelia steps into the bath. She is perplexed when he chooses not to join her and sits down on the chair in the corner. It is unlike Hannibal to opt for observation over participation.

They exchange no words as Bedelia lets the hot water and herb oil relax her body and clear her mind.

“This bath oil does wonders for the tense muscles. Thank you” she breaks the silence.

“The bath is not only for cleaning the body. In some cultures, like Japan, the bath is considered a way of relaxing and warming oneself.”

_He always comes to her._

Bedelia’s curiosity flickers again but she proceeds with tact.

“I did not know you were familiar with Japanese customs Hannibal” she replies, gently guiding the conversation in the desired direction.

“My uncle’s wife was Japanese. Her name was Lady Murasaki. I lived with them after the war. My aunt took interest in me when nobody else did. I acquired knowledge of many Japanese traditions like calligraphy, paper folding and flower arranging. It was very therapeutic. Something I needed at the time and she understood that.”

Bedelia does not interrupt, letting his words pour out.

“A woman of breath-taking allure, she was a muse to my uncle. She smelled of jasmine and green”, a boyish smile passes his lips.

Bedelia anticipated the story from his youth but did not expect it to be one of Hannibal’s first love. She imagines a teenage boy infatuated with his aunt. How perfectly ordinary.

She smiles to herself. Once again, it is not Hannibal’s darkness that surprises her, it is his human side.

The steam rises from the bath and hangs between them like ghosts from Hannibal’s past as he continues his narrative.

“She was a remarkable woman. My uncle would had done anything for her. So would I.”

His eyes turn crimson in an instant and Bedelia knows without a doubt what kind of “anything” he is referring to.

“She was difficult to read. Being attractive, she was still a hunter and had never relied on her beauty, yet still got what she desired” Hannibal pauses, “Just like you.”

Bedelia remains silent, unsure how to respond to his blatant compliment. She sits up and he offers his hand as she steps out of the bathtub. He takes the towel and gently wraps it around her.

“You would have liked her. And she would have loved you.” He plants a lingering kiss on her clavicle.

 

Later, as they lay together in bed with the sheets tangled between their legs, Bedelia’s mind contemplates Hannibal’s story.

“When was the last time you saw your aunt?” she asks tracing the contour of his jaw with her finger.

He breaths in deeply, diving into the past as a painful memory rises to the surface of him mind.

“I made a promise to Misha to avenge her. My aunt did not understand it. She did not understand me. She saw the man beyond the veil and she abandoned me.”

Bedelia can feel the tension in his jaw, her finger becomes still while she carefully chooses her words.

“There are limits to what we can do for another person. In the end everyone is responsible for their own life and no amount of care or love can change that. Stepping away does not signify a lack of feelings, only the fact that we have reached that limit” she pauses.

“Sometimes all we can do is watch.”

Her finger strokes his cheek one last time before moving away.

Hannibal remembers the exact same words being spoken during one of their therapy sessions. At the time his mind was clouded by Will but suddenly he understands.

He does not reply. He brings her closer, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling her hair.     

                                                               

The following day Bedelia finds a box adorned with a gold ribbon sitting atop her vanity. She unwraps it to find the dressing gown she was admiring in the shop. Inside there is an origami crane and a note from Hannibal which reads:

_Dear Bedelia,_

_My aunt taught me that the crane is a symbol of hope and healing during challenging times. It is believed if one folded one thousands of these, one’s wish would be granted. Whether the cranes are curative or not, people keep making them._

_Even during the most challenging times, you have always helped and supported me._

_I have never relied on symbols but I rely on you._

_H._

That evening Hannibal returns home to find Bedelia nestled in an armchair by the fireplace, a book in her hands, the dressing gown draped around her shoulders. He looks at her silently, memorising every detail and placing it in the favourite room of his memory palace, the one he will return to time and time again.

**Author's Note:**

> Senbazuru means thousand origami cranes in Japanese.
> 
> You can always find me at http://bedeliainwonderland.tumblr.com/ where I spread Bedannibal love.


End file.
